Zelda on Switch runs more smoothly in portable mode

A gaming masterpiece and a brilliant debut title for Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is also a tough technical workout.

[corroios]

The switch is a good portable and not a good choice for a home console. Almost zero upgrades on dock mode and drops on frame rate to 20!!!! on their biggest game of the year.

We are talking on a port from a game of the Wii U... We are talking on a brand new 2017 machine running at 900p that cost 300.

[Utalkin2me]

The WiiU version is worse. I have been getting headaches due to the unstable framerate. Its almost as bad as Skyrim at launch on the PS3.

[blitz0623]

A lot of people seem to forget the console itself is a portable that just gets hooked up to a TV to output a higher resolution. All docking does is letting the system run at a higher clock speed that would otherwise drain the battery if used on portable mode, and it looks like letting the game run at a higher res counteracts the extra performance and more

[Utalkin2me]

@blitz0623

I said nothing about the switch and it being docked . I said "WiiU" is worse. And it runs something awful, that alone should lose a point or 2.

[Cobra951]

Well, let's be honest. The WiiU version came out because it was promised and sold. The negative reaction against Nintendo would have been much worse if the WiiU didn't get Zelda at all. At this point, anyone who cares about how the game performs and looks should be playing it on the Switch.

The stutters in docked mode (vs smooth mobile frame rate) are more than just disappointing; they strike me as a flaw in the code, one that can hopefully get addressed with an update to the system, or to the game. At the very least, I would want the option to render the game at 720p in docked mode, to preserve the smooth action.

[AuraAbjure]

I've been getting headaches too! What a major bummer. A year and a half delay for this- guess we can wait a couple more weeks for a patch.

[cleft5]

How many games run worse on the PS4 Pro than they do on the PS4. The reason is simple, the games is made from the ground up with another platform in mind. In case of Sony, the games was made with the PS4 in mind so when they simply release a patch to support the PS4 Pro it runs into issues. Issues that can cause the game to run worse on the PS4 Pro then it does on the PS4. It's an issue of programming not power.

Does Zelda run better on the Switch in Portable Mode, yes it does. But why is this? It's simple, in portable mode the console is outputting at 720p resolution on more powerful hardware. The WiiU runs at 720p resolution as well, this game was made with the WiiU in mind from the start and then it was ported over to the Switch.

Which means it is going to have issues from time to time. This isn't an issue of hardware power, its an issue of where the game was originally developed for in the first place. In truth, we have yet to see a game that take advantage of the power the Switch is capable of mustering. Super Mario Galaxy is still one of the most beautiful games made and it was designed on vastly inferior hardware than the Switch.

We probably wont see a game that truly takes advantage of the Switch until Splatoon 2 or the new Mario game. I think people need to calm down a bit with the criticism of the Switch because they are making irrational statements. Jumping at any little indication to be negative about this system. The fact that you can play Zelda on the go and have this amazing experience comparable to a console is great. That is something that will elevate gaming as a whole.

[JunMei]

Yes. Let's ignore one of the best games of the year because of frame dips. Skyrim on Ps3 had major frame dips too.

also, Ocarina of Time, widely regarded as one of the best games of all time often dipped to 15 fps during the era when 60 fps and not 30 fps was the standard for console gaming.

[RosweeSon]

How many frames do you even notice in a second anyway I know myself unless it's stopping and starting or seriously lagging then wouldn't notice it anyway I'm normally to into the game than the tech behind it unless it's causing major problems and is unplayable broken or an absolute nightmare.

[_-EDMIX-_]

But the problem we're having right now with these huge framerate drops is it part of the portion of the device that is sort of one of its biggest selling points actually running off the television.

Let me remind you that this is also a port of a game that was made on a system that released five years ago.

This is a bit ridiculous

[JunMei]

The frame drops ARE definitely noticeable in very rare instances like in the lost woods. However, that still doesn't detract from such an amazing experience.

[_-EDMIX-_]

So what you guys are telling me is that the portable device runs the portable games better?

😂😂😂&# 129300;🤔🤔

Sounds to me like we kind of know why this device was created foremost.

Let's hope that this is a simple software issue that can be patched.

There's no reason why this device should be having problems running games on the television especially if you consider almost 10 years ago Sony released a cord that could play Playstation Portable games on the television

This has to be some sort of joke that this company can't even properly mimic a concept that was done 10 years ago...

If the PSP 2000 3000 and PSP Go are able to run off of the television there's no reason why this should be having any issues.

[JunMei]

It should be noted, that the PSPs only output. The Switch outputs higher quality visuals at a higher resolution when docked.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@junmei- moot.

as it should, this isn't 2008 so they're kind of isn't a reason for them to be unable to do this properly unless they just chose inferior parts.

Isn't Zelda 900p on the switch? Or am I mistaken the Wii U version?

I could have sworn one of these versions with an 1080P or I might be wrong

[EddieNX]

The game runs perfectly while docked, its just certain spots where it starts to stutter, you can step in and out of these spots. Its not an issue at all... It looks amazing upscaled to 4k on my TV anyway. The most beatiuful, pretty game I've played. Makes some modern realistic games look lifeless. Its just like, no way have they made a game this good...

[Summons75]

Right. Haters just love to make mountains out of molehills. Yes, there is very isolated spots where it happens but when it does hardly affects the game and is so quick you barely notice.

[Cobra951]

Thank you guys, for pointing this out. Since I don't have a Switch or BotW, I can only go on what I read. I know what you mean about making mountains out of molehills too. I remember when Digital Foundry said Fallout 4 dropped to zero fps on the Xbox, and that turned out to be nothing beyond the occasional streaming stutters that can happen in any open-world game.

Still, if the game runs with perfect fluidity in mobile mode, it should be able to do the same in docked mode. I hope they fix this with an update.

[MRMagoo123]

"runs perfectly when docked , it's just certain spots where it starts to stutter" 😂 really .......I mean really ?? runs perfect ....except for the spots where it doesn't?? like every single game ever made that has frame rate problems ...just wow

[EddieNX]

It runs at locked 30 while docked 95% of the time, then these weird spots where it drops to 20... There's no explanation for it..

[Utalkin2me]

@EddieNX

"The game runs perfectly while docked, its just certain spots where it starts to stutter"

ROFLMA....SMFH....This is comedy gold right here. While the switch version run fairly well for the most part. The WiiU version runs like a hot pile of garbage.

[ninsigma]

Dropping to 20 fps is not a stutter. A stutter is almost undetectable while a drop in 10 frames per second has a significant impact on playing the game. It's also not certain spots because you can play in any spot and be fine then go back and it could drop. Yes it is an issue because it affects game performance. It's an issue in every other game that sees drops like this so it's an issue here.

[EddieNX]

Its an issue but not a big one. By and large to game runs at locked 30 with vsync. I do hope they fix these stuttery spots obviously and they most likely will with a patch.

[Cobra951]

Either you don't understand the technology behind vsync-locked frame updates, or you're ignoring it. If a scheduled frame update is missed even by a very small amount of time, the frame rate is going to drop down to the next lower factor of the screen refresh rate. In this case, the schedule calls for a frame update every 2 screen refreshes (30 fps on a 60Hz display), and that drops to one every 3 refreshes (20 fps on 60 Hz) when the update is missed even by a millisecond. That sudden momentary drop in frame rate over a few demanding rendered frames is exactly what a stutter is.

[Sunny_D]

There's definitely no way it runs perfect. Been watching my roommate play it and the first frame rate drop I noticed is when he runs out of the Temple of Ressurection and he runs into the first bits of tall grass.

In fact anytime Link is in tall grass on the Great Plateau, the frame drops noticebly.

But, the game is definitely beautiful. The art style gives me the feeling of the N64 days with the sense of wonderment and adventure.

[Strange_Evil]

As per digital foundry, the drops are consistent like when you move your camera through a high foliage area or when there are enemies on screen and it hits 20FPS. For a 300$ in 2017 console that is just plain garbage to not hit 30FPS at 900P no matter how you put it.

Note: I am not dissing the game. The game looks great but the console itself is what is holding it back.

[conanlifts]

The frame drops are not that big a deal. Saying this i have played around 5 hours undocked 3 docked. But the drops are unusual. Get into a fight, explode the barrels dodge and run with no issues. Run up a hill doing nothing else and you get random stutters.

[spektical]

this is a delusional fanboy. As an owner of a switch I am dissapoitned with the massive framedrops the game has, notice it more when entering any patch of grass.

[deadfrag]

I hope they patch the performance because i find this unacceptable,the first major title for the Switch from the best known Nintendo IP and it runs lock undocked and with major frame drops when docked in a console that Nintendo tout has a home console system,frankly this is not good news for people like myself that like to play first and formost on my HDTV.Fix this shit.

[SoulWarrior]

Yep. I've played it for a few hours now and the frame rate drops, particularly during combat an in forests/woods with smoke/fire effects in particular is really jarring, the fact that it performs better undocked isn't right imo.

[vikingland1]

This is strange I hope they can fix it with an update or patch.

[Pricey]

Where are the updates stored?

[Qdog]

When I downloaded an update for the game it went on the SD card. The saves I'm not sure about because when i switched from a 64GB card to a 256Gb card, the save files were still in tact.

[Pricey]

@Qdog ah ok maybe there is some storage on the cartridge for saves. Thanks for answering my question

[vikingland1]

It updated mine without a sd card so I think it stores it on tye built in memory it has around 25 GB after the update.

[Cobra951]

Good question. If the games are not installed, they can't get proper delta patching as in the current x86 consoles. That means the patches would have to be separate files that get applied at game boot-up time. I'm curious about the process myself.

[Qdog]

Pretty sure after reading the comments that the system simply chooses the sd card if mounted or the internal system storage if no SD card is mounted. The update definitely occupied space on my SD card.

[V0LT]

Any open world game is going to have spikes. They all do. GTA, the witcher, etc. It is just how it is.

[Sunny_D]

Horizon happened to be stable for the most part...

[Cobra951]

The difference here is that this game runs without such issues in the weaker mobile mode. If the game only ran in docked mode, then your assumption would be considered correct by most of us.

[ninsigma]

I watched the DF video of it earlier today. It's strange how it drops to 20 fps on docked when all the stuff unlocks and portable with everything scaled back it runs at a solid 30. I imagine it's down to being a wii u port and in portable mode the switch is basically a wii u in terms of power. Interesting though. Will have to see how the next big game does (splatoon or mario kart, can't remember what's next) between the 2 modes.

[Qdog]

Its slightly more powerful than a WiiU in portable mode, but docked mode it's much improved. The Wiiu is 352 GFlop/s on the GPU side with 3x 32 bit PPC CPU Cores running at 1.2 Ghz, the Switch is 1000GFlop/s when docked with 4x 64 bit cores running at an alleged CPU speed of 2+ Ghz, assuming it is a Maxwell SOC (GPU die shots have a different identifier than Shield TV Chips) so we still dont know what is in the switch for sure. Regardless, from a purely theoretical perspective, the switch is more powerful than WiiU in both states and, short of porting optimizations, and pipeline changes (AMD to Nvidia) should not be experiencing performance issues with WiiU developed games.I suppose we'll just have to wait for a patch and see.

[Qdog]

Also, there were numerous reports of Nintendo internal documents stating that the clocks in portable mode had been increased by 25% prior to launch.

[kevnb]

Theoretical peak performance is such a poor way to measure power. I hate that this gen seems to have made people accept it as the ultimate truth.

[Qdog]

I understand what you mean, but I think it comes down to being able to effectively convey the value of purchasing something, marketing yes, but is it necessarily inaccurate, no. Arm processors of today are far more efficient, though using different feature and instruction sets than PPC processors of the past. When it comes to gaming, they are surprisingly capable, though core for core, they lose out in IPC versus desktop processors. The Tegra X1 or X1+ in the switch (assuming X1) is quite capable at 720p and even 1080p if software (subroutines/low level API) and engines/middleware are optimized, which of course has been Nvidia's forte since PhysX and Gameworks.

As for theoretical peak performance, it's merely a comparable standardized indication (fp16, fp32) of the relative performance properties of certain hardware under heavily controlled software usage environments and under specific conditions, which describes consoles thoroughly. While we are very unlikely to see an actual game using unshaded and untextured triangles, it still gives an indication of capabilities in an effort to convey the value of the hardware.

The games will speak for themselves and going into this with heavy doubts about the switch, I'm now a supporter, just as much as with PC, PS4, Xbox One.

[kevnb]

If it wasn't for digital foundry people would say it runs perfectly. Too bad they weren't around most of last gen, games were regularly sub 720p and running around 20 fps.

[Pricey]

Spot on mate

[Qdog]

Yeah, I remember. GTA IV was 640p on PS3 with many dips. There were many examples of subpar performance during a generation that according to Sony was supposed to be focused on 1080p/60fps gaming.

[machtkampf]

Try playing Bloodborne on PS4. You may realize it isn't so bad.

[Pricey]

Oh I see what you did there. Haven't you got a bridge to hide under? And by the way it runs silky smooth on my pro

[machtkampf]

Why even troll me.

[LordStig]

Frame-rate dips in Bloodborne isn't an issue...It's a challenge.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Fortunately it's not a hardware issue,
Unfortunately Nintendo probably won't patch it.

[Wallstreet37]

Im not sensitive to fps drops but docked is an issue for me. Also had unresponsive controls and delays on joycons docked. Glaring issues some reviewers didnt mention smh

Idc what nintendo says this is a handheld first and foremost.

[superchiller]

It's really unbelievable that Nintendo's flagship crown jewel launch game for the Switch runs so poorly in docked mode. Did they even play test the game prior to release? By all rights the game should run silky smooth in docked mode, and not be subject to stuttering and frame drops. Not a good sign for the future of this console.

[AuraAbjure]

Never thought I'd see the day when Nintendo became a "fuk it - just ship it and patch it" developer.

[Altovoltage]

It runs at 21fps instead of 20fps lol